Many types of cartons for packaging articles are known. However, these cartons have not been suitable for use when several cartons are desired, such as those where each carton is attached to another carton, particularly diamond shaped cartons. The preparation of such an arrangement generally requires the use of several different blanks that must be glued together to form the final carton.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,998,147 (F. C. Stegman) discloses a bottle carton consisting of a longitudinal series of vertical hexagonal individual bottle receiving cells with a shock absorbing support at the bottom of the cells to prevent damage to the bottles. Each cell is a complete structural unit even when separated from the other cells. The bottle carton comprises a combination of a pair of duplicate blanks cut, scored, connected and set up to provide a longitudinal series of vertical hexagonal individual bottle-receiving cells. The blanks have vertical weakened lines between the cells facilitating their separation, and leaving when separated vertical laterally-projecting flanges at opposite angles of the cells. The lower portions of the blanks are cut and scored to provide semi-hexgonal half bottom panels folded inwardly from opposite side walls of the cells in vertically spaced relation to the lower ends of the other side walls. The edges of the walls adjacent the panels are bevelled to prevent binding of the panels as they are folded inwardly. The bottom panels have at their inner edges downturned bottom flanges extending between the vertical flanges and providing with the lower ends of the other walls, a shock absorbing support for the bottom of the cell which is in an elevated position. A means is provided for connecting the vertical and bottom flanges of the cells so that each cell is a complete structural unit even when separated from the other cells of the series. F. C. Stegman does not teach a trio carton wherein each carton is attached by a common edge or axis to another carton because the blanks of F. C. Stegman have vertical weakened lines between the cells facilitating their separation and when separated leave vertical laterally-projecting flanges at opposite angles of the cells.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,342,623 (S. A. Aquino) discloses a one piece multicompartment container provided with a central partition. The container comprises at least six relatively flat side members fastened together in polygonal shape, wherein the top members and bottom members cooperate with the side members. A partition is provided dividing the column enclosed by the side members into two compartments, each defined by an odd number of the side members and one of the top and bottom members. The partition comprises two separate panel elements, arranged back to back. Each panel has a height of about the height of the side walls and extends between opposite sides formed by the side members. An edge portion of the cover member and an edge portion of the bottom member of each compartment is attached to the top and bottom edges respectively of the panel elements of the partition which forms a wall of the respective compartment. The bottom member of each compartment is attached at its opposite edge to one of the side members at the lower edge portion, whereby the bottom of each compartment is supported both by the partition and by one of the side members.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,004,696 (R. W. McCormick) discloses a polygonal compartmented container formed with partitions to provide a plurality of compartments, and having a bottom construction which includes a plurality of prismatic portions enabling the container to be positioned on uneven ground or to be interlocked with the prismatic portions of a similar container. The polygonal compartmented container is formed from foldable paperboard and comprises a plurality of elongated panels arranged in tubular form and hingedly connected in series at their longitudinal edges along parallel lines. A fold line extends at right angles, centrally across the panels, to divide the assembled panel group into two half sections. Two sets of fold lines each extend at acute angles to the central fold line and form a plurality of adjoined, endwise aligned, diamond shaped areas, located symmetrically along the central fold line with their transverse axes coinciding with alternate hinge lines of the panel group and with their apexes located at the intersections of the central fold line with the remaining alternate hinge lines of the panel group. One of the half sections of the assembled panels comprises inner partitions and is folded over along the central fold line and enclosed inside the other half section comprising the container outer walls. The outer walls and the enclosed inner partitions are collapsible to flat tubular form. The diamond shaped areas when the tubular construction is in expanded form, is collapsible inwardly and axially of the expanded tube, whereby to cause the pairs of partition panels adjoined to the inner sides of the respective diamond shaped areas to expand inwardly of the tube and form with the side wall panels on the other side of the respective diamond shaped areas similar compartments, each having a symmetrical diamond shape in cross-section.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,403,835 (J. M. Schwaner) discloses a multi-cell container assembly formed of separate unitary cells which have certain panels of each cell secured in face-to-face relationship permitting the container to be folded into a flat contour. The multi-cell container assembly comprises a plurality of polygonal container subassemblies each joined to each of its adjacent subassemblies at a single side panel to form one or more L-shaped, attached series of subassemblies. Further panels of the subassemblies within the bight of the L-shaped series are positioned in abutting relation to form a multi-cell container assembly in which at least two panels of each polygonal subassembly is reinforced by an adjacent subassembly panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,487 (Bliss) discloses a carton blank for a four-sided carton having a recessed double thickness handle formed as a part of the top closure. The carton blank comprises four rectangular side wall panels of equal size positioned in lateral alignment and connected by vertical fold lines. The side panels are defined along their top and bottom edges by horizontal fold lines. Bottom closure flaps are connected along the bottom edge of the side wall panels. A top closure for the blank is connected along the top edge of the blank including a first triangular handle section. The triangular section is formed as an isosceles triangle having a base equal to the width of a first adjacent pair of the side wall panels and having a center fold line extending vertically from the apex of the triangle to the point of intersection of the top edge fold line and the vertical hinge line connecting the first pair of adjacent side wall panels. The first triangular handle section has a slot cut on each side of the vertical fold line and is positioned along the diagonally positioned fold lines. A pair of fold lines extends diagonally from the point of intersection of the top edge hinge line and the hinge line connecting the first pair of adjacent side wall panels and intersecting the outer edges of the first triangular handle section. A second triangular handle section substantially similar in size and configuration to the first triangular handle section is connected along the top edge of the remaining two adjacent side wall panels. A pair of insertable tabs is formed as a part of and extends vertically from the second triangular handle section adjacent the apex of the second section. The tabs are formed in width substantially equal to or slightly less than the length of the slots. Die cut apertures are formed in that portion of each of the triangular handle sections on either side of each vertical fold line and above each of the diagonally positioned fold lines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,390 (Rosenthal et al.) discloses a repeatably usable collapsible hand carrier for bottles of standard size. The carrier is fabricated of flexible panel material and has a structure comprising: A. front and rear side panels provided with complementary handle extensions; B. left and right end panels hingedly joined to the end edges of the side panels; C. a bottom panel hingedly joined to the bottom edges of the side panels and disconnected from the end panels, the bottom panel and the end panels all having a center fold to create a gusset whereby the carrier may be collapsed after use into a flat state by pressing the side panels together, and in doing so, causing the bottom panel and the end panel gussets to fold out, and the carrier may be erected for reuse by pulling the side panels apart; and D. four snap-in corner sections formed at the junctions of the side and end panels. Each section is defined by a pair of parallel slots spaced from the top and bottom edges of the panels and extends horizontally from the center fold of the related end panel and a vertical fold line on the related side panel. When the hand carrier is erected and a corner section is pressed in at its junction, the section then reverses itself to set up within the interior of the carrier a corner cell adapted to accommodate a single standard bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,706 (VanDerStraten) discloses a packing device comprising a continuous row or at least one element in a flat extended position. Each element is composed of a bottom, a top panel, at least one end wall and side walls. The elements are hingeably connected together substantially along longitudinal ribs formed between the bottoms to form the continuous row of elements. The packing device is made from one unitary blank and the row of elements can be rolled up from its flat extended position to a closed polygonal block having a casing. End faces are provided in which the interconnected bottoms and the side walls of the elements are combined to form the casing and the end faces, respectively, of the block.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,985 (Bezrutczyk) discloses a display carton for holding and displaying an article including a tubular container structure and a tubular drawer structure by which an article is displayed by opening and closing the drawer. The carton is made from a unitary blank of foldable sheet material, such as paper board, and comprises a plurality of container panels foldably interconnected along primary fold lines to form a tubular container structure open at its ends. Container end closure flaps are provided foldably joined to the container panels and secured in overlapped relation to close the ends of the tubular container structure. An opening is provided in at least one of the container panels defining an opening to the interior of the container structure; a plurality of drawer panels are provided foldably interconnected along secondary fold lines to form a tubular drawer structure open at its ends, one of the drawer panels being joined to one of the container panels along a hinge line; drawer end closure flaps are provided joined to the drawer panels and secured in overlapped relation to close the ends of the tubular drawer structure. The drawer structure is hingedly connected to the container structure with respect to the hinge line for movement through the opening between a first closed position situated within the interior of the container structure and a second open position situated at least in part outside of the container structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,231 (Cai) discloses a multi-partitioned meal tray or container for holding food products. The container is made from a unitary blank and comprises a planar base and a plurality of straight, equal length sidewalls having respective bottom edges integrally joined to the planar base. Each of the sidewalls has opposed ends joined at an obtuse angle to corresponding ends of adjacent sidewalls to define corners. The plurality of sidewalls and the corners define a periphery of the container. The container further comprises a plurality of integral internal partitions extending along the planar base. Each of the internal partitions has first and second ends. At least two of the internal partitions each have its first end joined to a respective one of the corners. At least two of the internal partitions have their second ends joined together. A further one of the internal partitions has a first end joined to the periphery of the container and a second end joined to the second ends of the at least two of the internal partitions.